by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

Things are going bad enough for the Los Angeles Lakers. The officials don't need to add to it.

The thing about the rules is they are the rules, though, and the rules were enforced Sunday in the Lakers' 108-103 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Whether they were enforced properly may be another story.

Lakers center Dwight Howard was ejected late in Sunday's first half for picking up his second technical foul. The call was a double-technical after Howard and Raptors forward Alan Anderson got tangled up on the box out after a Lakers free throw. More or less, their arms locked and minor shoves were exchanged, if that.

He previously had been called for a technical foul midway through the first quarter.

The Lakers are thin on big men with Pau Gasol starting his first game since a concussion Jan. 6 and backup center Jordan Hill still out. The Raptors outrebounded them 22-19 in the second half with Howard out. Howard, an elected All-Star Game starter finished with five points and two rebounds.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant took his teammate's side, pointing out the absurdity of the scenario around that second call.

"I really don't agree with that one at all," Bryant said. "What's a player supposed to do? A guy cuts in front when he's trying to walk back up the court. An official told me he should just walk away. I said, 'Which direction? Should he just turn around a just walk to the bench?' "

But no one is as qualified to discuss these things as Lakers forward Metta World Peace, who made the free throw before the technicals and has his own history with such calls.

"That technical was bad," World Peace told ESPN Los Angeles. "That technical, I think it was a mistake. That's OK. (The referees) made a mistake. They made a mistake today giving Dwight the tech because the other guy (Anderson) initiated it."